Building a bright future – Ed’s welcomes Ant to the team
Building a bright future is at the heart of Ant’s recent decision to join the Ed’s team. Ant will be running his brand new gardening franchise business in Orpington East.
Here’s what Ant has to say about his decision to join Ed’s and his experience so far.
What’s your career background and what makes you tick?
“My most recent job was in construction recruitment. However, I have worked in different roles across a range of sectors over the years. I definitely embrace change and I have always been drawn to challenging, people-focused roles requiring drive, determination and entrepreneurial spirit. I love new challenges. Keeping fit and healthy is also important to me. Having an outdoors job with flexibility for sport and family life is a huge advantage.”
“I’ve enjoyed the roles I’ve had in the past. However, for some time, I’ve had the feeling of being at a career crossroads. Furthermore, I’ve had a sense that it is the right time to be striking out to build something for myself. I have reached that sweet spot of having the right level of life and career experience to make the most of an opportunity. Yet I still have lots of energy to throw at it. It is the perfect time for me to make a bold move.”
Building a bright future – Why gardening?
“I really wanted to get away from a desk and to pursue a career that was in harmony with my priority to keep fit and healthy. I definitely prefer to be out in nature rather than stuck indoors. In addition, I enjoy physical work and I like seeing the results of my efforts. Finally, I love engaging with people, building relationships and delivering services that make my customers happy.”
Building a bright future – Why an Ed’s franchise?
“First and foremost I wanted to avoid a lot of the legwork that is involved in starting up an independent business from scratch. I wanted to get out and into gardens rather than spend ages getting everything set up properly. Furthermore, I wanted a recipe for success in which I had confidence. With Ed’s it’s all really straightforward. I am plugging into a successful and established business that has years of experience already under its belt. This means I can benefit from that presence right from the very start and see results. I can hit the ground running, which is massively appealing to me.”
“Beyond all that, I just felt right about Ed’s – professional office team, great business model, great franchisees, great support, lots of work. What’s not to like? I’d go as far as to say that I have had a lot of fun just getting to this stage. I believe that work should be fun, life is too short for it to be otherwise.”
Training and getting ready to go
“With Ed’s there is a very structured approach to getting you up and running. We’ve got a very detailed checklist of things we have to work through to make sure I am business ready and I’m almost there! This has not been overwhelming at all. The office are always on hand to help and the other business owners are very friendly and only too happy to share their experience with you. I really like that approach.”
“I’m working my way through my training. I consider it a big plus that Ed’s training is bespoke. It doesn’t feel like a sausage factory with one size fits all. The office team take into account your experience and skillset when pairing you up with established business owners for the practical element of the training. It all feels very personal.”
“Another great thing with the Ed’s training is that it is mixed up to keep it interesting. There are many strands to the training, both office based and out in the field. For example, this week we have had a regional group training session. Ed’s has had a number of new franchisees join recently. They were all there as well as some very experienced Ed’s franchisees. Ed himself was there too, of course. We rounded it all off with a nice pub lunch and the mix between formal training and getting to know people was just right.”
“I can see how this approach keeps the training real and fresh. I’ve got a good network of franchisees already. It’s great to have a little group of franchisees who are all at a similar stage to me but also have access to people who just have at their experienced fingertips all the answers you could possibly need!”
Future plans
“My priority is to concentrate on building the foundations of a business that will thrive. However, looking beyond that, I feel like the sky is the limit with an opportunity like this. I love the idea of building a business of scale whilst having the freedom to maintain my lifestyle. It’s so important to me that I’ll have the freedom to be the architect of exactly the right business for me. I can’t really think of a better prospect than that.”
We wish Ant all the best with his new Ed’s business and we look forward to supporting him to reach his business and lifestyle goals.
